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Pancreas Transplant

The UMass Memorial Transplant Program cares for patients who have normal kidney function, but need pancreas transplant alone to control blood sugars. The program also offers pancreas-after-kidney transplants and simultaneous pancreas/kidney transplants to severely diabetic patients as a surgical alternative for the management of their disease.

Type 1 Diabetes and Pancreas Transplantation

Type1 diabetes is a serious disease that can lead to severe complications. Scientific studies have shown that good control of blood sugars lowers this risk. Complications include:

Kidney failure

Blindness

Hardening of the arteries

Heart disease

Stroke

Despite their efforts to regulate their blood sugars, most diabetic patients cannot do so without episodes of dangerously low blood sugar, also known as hypoglycemia. Many Type 1 diabetics still suffer from painful side effects of diabetes.